Last year's runner up Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat fellow countryman Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the Swedish Open in Bastad. In a match that lasted 88 minutes, left handed Verdasco was successful in breaking his opponent's serve in both sets, to win his 17th match of the season.
He next faces Argentina player Pablo Cuevas, who ousted Renzo Olivio 6-2, 6-4 in their quarter final meeting on Friday.
"I am so happy, coming back to play in my first semifinal for three years. I played very well today. It was a tough match; Renzo played well this week. I hope to continue playing well."
Verdasco now eyes his second clay win of the season after registering a win at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Houston, held in April, where he beat another one of his countrymen- Nicolas Almagro.
It will be their first meeting post May, where Verdasco had beaten Cuevas in a grueling five setter at the French Open.
Top seed David Ferrer however, failed to advance into the semis, as he was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by defending champion Carlos Berlocq. The former two times champion at Bastad generously gave away several break points all throughout the match, which Berlocq made good use of by capitalizing on 5 breaks out of the 7 that were presented to him. This win allowed him his first triumph against the Spaniard, who had beaten him three years back at Barcelona.
The 31-year old Berlocq will be eyeing a third ATP World Tour title of his career after having won at Bastad last year and then winning one in Oeiras where he beat the lanky Czech player Berdych in the final.
Berlocq next faces Joao Sousa of Portugal who advanced into the semifinals by defeating the 73rd ranked player Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-4, 6-4. The 25 year old Sousa has just one ATP World Tour title to his credit and will be eyeing to win his second.
Another upset occurred at the Newport ATP Hall of Fame Championships, where, after the defeat of the defending champion Nicolas Mahut in the quarterfinals at the hands of Australian Samuel Groth, two time champion and second seed John Isner was put out by fellow American Jack Sock 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) on Friday.
Sock, the younger of the two Americans, converted a vital break point during the first set, which allowed him to clinch it with ease and then managed to defeat Isner to a score of 7-4 in the second set tie-break.
He meets former world number 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals, who advanced by beating another American-Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4.
It might seem like a daunting task for the young American to take on the ex Wimbledon champion but, Hewitt has not found much success in this tournament and has lost twice in the final -- first to Isner in 2012 and then to Mahut in 2013.
